Catching Bella
by 4MeJasper
Summary: A lone girl on a lonely stretch of highway. Fleeing from a tragic past, Bella faces crisis as the family secret that lead to her parents' untimely death threatens to ensnare her as well. Can a lovesick vampire help her resolve the mysteries of her past and future self? Or will she succumb to those who want to capitalize on her unique abilities?
1. Chapter 1 - Leaving Los Angeles

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, and to Jaspersdoll for suggesting the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 1 – Leaving Los Angeles.

It was past twilight, and even the shadows were disappearing into the starkness of night.

Leaning her head against the window of the train, Bella watched the hills of Los Angeles flash by as she was alternately lulled and jostled by the moving train. Paradoxically, it seemed lately that the darker it got, the easier it was for her to see the animals in the surrounding hills. Their small movements and glowing eyes constantly caught her attention without the distractions of daytime.

She smiled as the eyes of a deer shone out of the darkness. The train's passing lights revealed that the doe was feeding on grass in a small meadow near the tracks. However tired Bella was, seeing animals always relaxed her. She was more comfortable with them than with people.

Suddenly, the deer turned and started to leap, but was caught by what appeared to be a man's arms. She shook her head, as that couldn't be. She stood up, pressing against the window to get a better look. There had been a flash of yellow, but it must have been a cougar.

As she squinted into the darkness, she saw the deer fall to the ground as if dropped. She was shocked to find someone was staring back at her, standing over its prone form. A man with shaggy blond hair.

Spooked, she ducked below the window in an automatic reaction. She peered over the bottom of the window frame, but the train had rounded a corner, and the view of the hill was gone.

She settled back into her seat as they were almost to Union Station, where her car was parked.

At the next stop, though, someone got on. He was tall, wearing a hooded sweatshirt under his denim jacket. The hood was up, partially obscuring his face. The impression she got was of eyes that appeared black in a face that was handsome, with a well-defined jaw and shaggy blond hair that peeked out from under the sweatshirt's hood. Bella felt he was studying her. There was no way it was the guy she saw with the deer, as it would not have been humanly possible to get from the wooded area to that train platform in those few minutes.

Still, he was watching her, and the blond mane that was visible from under that hood looked like the deer hunter from the hillside.

At that moment, a Los Angeles County Sheriff entered the car, checking tickets. She was relieved, especially since she had actually bought one that day. Money was tight, and she and her roommate Angela occasionally played the Russian roulette game of spending $5 for the round-trip ticket versus the $251 fine for not having one. Today was a spend $5 day, fortunately.

She followed the sheriff to the next car instead of staying alone with the stranger. When they arrived at Union Station, she walked next to the sheriff as they entered the station. She noticed the hooded stranger left the train as well. He stayed a little ways back, but appeared to be following her, so she asked for an escort to her car, saying she felt uneasy because of the late hour. The sheriff offered to take her to the lot.

When they reached the borrowed, rusted orange Taurus in the parking lot, she almost felt apologetic. "It drives good," she said.

The sheriff looked at it appraisingly, and said, "If you take care of these, they'll last forever." He stood by the car window after she was settled into her seat, and she realized he was waiting to make sure the engine came on.

She was kind of wondering, too. One of the red warning lights had come on two days ago, but neither she nor Angela had money to get it fixed. Between the two of them, they had just enough money for gas.

Bella put the key in the ignition and bit her lip, waiting and hoping. Grudgingly, the motor came on after a few grumbles.

She waved to the sheriff as he stepped back from the car and said, "Thank you," then drove off.

She was still creeped out by the man from the train. He could have had nothing to do with the deer, but she could swear he was the one who caught it mid-leap.

As she pulled out of the parking lot, she tried to decide what to do. She had been feeling awful lately. For the first time in her life, she had run out of medication. She had gone to an Emergency Room for a refill, but they seemed to be eying her funny, so she left. She didn't need questions, as the bottles her parents gave her didn't have the standard prescription label.

And now she began to wonder if she was hallucinating as part of withdrawal. She definitely felt funny. Lights and sounds were brighter. She felt sharper, more focused, while at the same time distracted by all this new sensory input.

Finally, she decided to head north to rejoin the circus she had left months earlier. Even though she had split one night, jumping off the trailer at a gas station and thumbing her way to Los Angeles, she knew that the Katy Circus was supposed to be in Port Angeles, Washington this coming weekend.

Bella realized maybe she shouldn't have left. At least not without a better understanding of what this medication was she had been taking. Mrs. Cope had always told her, as long as she could remember, to "Take this every day, dear." Just before she split, Mrs. Cope began to add, with a sigh, that "Your Mother died when she stopped taking her pills."

Yet Bella wasn't so sure that taking them was the best idea.

She headed for the freeway, following signs for the 5 north. After driving the rest of the night and most of the next day, she got to the Oregon border. Just as she reached Portland, a second red warning light came on. She kept driving, only stopping for gas in well-lit, highly trafficked places, pulling in to the island closest to the store. She couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed. She also noticed she could see surprisingly well in the dark. Movements from deep in the forest, deer and fox, caught her eye.

The more tired she got, the harder it was to push back the memories of the events she had fled to Los Angeles to escape. The sounds of the scream and the gunshot the night her father died echoed through her memory, as well as the horror of watching her mother step off the platform to her death, spreading her arms as though she expected to fly instead of grabbing at the trapeze swinging toward her. Punching the dial on the radio station, scanning for songs couldn't push the memories far enough away.

She finally got onto the 101 north and began seeing signs for Port Angeles. Granted, they showed the city was still a long way away, but at least she was seeing signs. About 150 miles from the city, the car started rattling. She started looking for an open gas station, some place that if the car died, she could leave it and then either catch a bus or thumb a ride the rest of the way to Port Angeles.

As she pulled into a tiny town called Forks, population 3,175, the car just quit. She managed to roll into a large parking lot for a store called Forks Outfitters, on the edge of town, after the motor died.

She was exhausted after having driven over twenty-one hours straight, only stopping for gas and bathroom breaks.

Bella sat in the now-dead car for a while, fighting the urge to fall asleep behind the wheel. She must have given in, because she was startled awake by someone knocking on the window. The woman was wearing a green vest with a name tag on it. _Must be an employee of the store_, she thought. She rolled down the window.

"Dear, are you OK?" the woman asked. "I was just on my way to my car to go home, and I saw you."

"I was just driving to Port Angeles. I got so tired that I pulled over," Bella told her.

"Well, you look a little tired. Are you feeling OK? We have a clinic down the street…"

That got Bella's attention. Maybe she could get the pills she needed there. This was a small town, maybe they wouldn't be so strict. Perhaps someone would give her a sample. One of Angela's friends had told her he was given free samples by a clinic when he couldn't afford to pay.

Bella told the friendly employee she would go there, and the woman gave her directions. It wasn't far, so she decided to walk.

When she got there, she found a one-story, blue and white building. It looked promising.

She walked in the Urgent Care's electronic door and signed in, putting down Jane Smith on the forms. Then she took a seat and waited for her name to be called.

She must have fallen asleep the second she sat down, because she woke up with a start when someone touched her. His hands were cold.

Looking up, she saw a blond man with odd, yellow eyes looking at her with a concerned expression on his handsome face.

"Are you OK, Miss? I understand you are looking for a medication refill. My name is Dr. Cullen," he said.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.

I'm excited about this one. Hope you will like it.

I plan to update on Fridays.

Cvaboda has a new story, Cockroach. She just put up the first chapter. Intense stuff. Jasper/Bella. Don't know where she's going yet, but I am on pins and needles, waiting to find out.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Doctor

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwadsMate4Ever, and to jaspersdoll for suggesting the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 2 – The Doctor

_"Are you OK, Miss? I understand you are looking for a medication refill. My name is Dr. Cullen," the doctor said._

The doctor looked friendly, but Bella felt a strange warning sensation. She pulled out her pills anyway.

Dr. Cullen took them and turned the bottle over in his hand. "Interesting," he said. "Well, come with me. I'll take a history and discuss your medication needs."

"I don't have insurance, so I can't really afford an exam," she said in a small voice. "Can't you just refill them? My mother took them; it's for something that runs in the family."

"You've taken these all your life?" he asked. Suddenly, she realized that they were walking back to an exam room. She stopped, and he paused and turned, looking at her, puzzled, then gestured toward a door. "Just in here," he said. "I'd like to take your blood pressure and temperature. Don't worry, I won't charge you. I have the authority to waive fees. Especially if you just want a refill," he added.

She wasn't sure but went into the room and sat on a small chair, setting her purse on the exam table.

Dr. Cullen followed her, closing the door behind him. He pulled up a rolling metal stool so he was sitting in front of her and said, "Tell me about this medication again? What condition are you taking it for? What happened that you started?"

"I've always taken it. My mother took it. She died when she stopped," Bella blurted out, overwhelmed by exhaustion.

He pulled out his stethoscope and said, "It's all right. I see no reason for you to fear for your life. We have new medications, and I'm sure there is a better one on the market than was available at the time of your mother's illness. Maybe there is one that is…more appropriate," he added.

"This one is fine," Bella said.

"My issue, my dear," Dr. Cullen said, looking at her carefully, "is that this is actually an animal tranquilizer. I'm surprised you can even stand up if you've been taking it. You do look exhausted."

"That's because I just drove from Los Angeles, stopping only for gas," Bella mumbled.

Dr. Cullen stopped writing on his clipboard. "You must have driven over twenty hours. That was quite dangerous," he stated, staring at her intently.

"It's all right. My family's in Port Angeles, and I was just anxious to see them," she answered. "I was having car trouble, so I had to stop. Since it was here, I came in."

"Well, I want you to stay here overnight for observation," the doctor said, removing the blood pressure cuff from her arm. "Your blood pressure and pulse rate are elevated."

"And I told you, I don't have insurance. I'll go see my family, it'll be fine."

"They're the ones who've been giving you these pills?" he asked.

Something told me not to answer this. He paused, waiting. "You're exhausted. Where is your car? It won't be fixed before tomorrow, so stay here tonight. Think about it, and I'll go check on getting a room for you."

He stepped outside the room and quietly spoke to someone in the hall while she got up and collected her purse.

When Dr. Cullen came back in, he asked, "Ready?"

She didn't like it but muttered, "OK," planning to leave the second he wasn't looking.

When they went into the hallway, she saw a security officer standing by the front desk. Dr. Cullen nodded at him, and said, "It's all right, George. She's staying." Then he looked at Bella, and said, "I worried that you were going to get back out on the road. If you did, you were going to be in an accident, which I couldn't allow."

They showed her to a hospital room, where she was fussed over by a motherly nurse named Jackie while she changed into a gown and got into the hospital bed. The doctor and security guard left, and Jackie finally left as well, after asking for the fifteenth time if she was sure she wouldn't like dinner.

As soon as they cleared the room, Bella got up and went to the closet. Her clothes were gone. That bugger had taken her clothes. She knew it was the doctor.

Bella peeked out into the hall, and a nurse looked up from a desk. "Is there something I can get you, dear?" the nurse asked.

Biting back her retort of, "My clothes, thanks," Bella said, "I'm hungry, after all. Are there some crackers or something?" She hoped that the helpful nurse would leave her desk to go get the food.

No such luck. The woman smiled, picked up her phone and made a call, giving Bella a "this isn't my first rodeo, honey," look.

OK then. Bella closed the door and went back to the chair by the tiny window. Peeking out, she saw it was still raining. Great. Barefoot in the rain. Well, she had clothes in her car, so she would just have to tough it out. Wrapping herself in a blanket from the bed and gritting her teeth, she climbed over the window ledge, dropped to the ground, and took off up the street, barefoot.

When she got to the Forks Outfitters' parking lot, she saw a sleek Mercedes pulling up next to her orange Taurus. Lo and behold, Dr. Cullen and an elegant woman in a raincoat slid out of the black sedan and stood on either side of her car, examining the rusty relic closely. How did they know which car was hers? Maybe because it was the rattiest car in the lot. Or had she accidentally put the correct information on the admitting paperwork?

She could have sworn that the doctor looked in her direction, so she flattened herself behind a tree.

Suddenly that didn't seem enough.

A panic rose inside, and she was overcome by the need to flee. She had noticed on the drive in that there were trees throughout this town, and that some of them were huge. She was close to a copse of trees right now, and she turned to the largest pine tree, starting to reach up for the nearest branch.

But instead of running or climbing, she was overcome by feelings of intense heat and cold. She shivered and collapsed to the ground for a few seconds, then suddenly regained her strength, jumped up and started climbing the tree.

It felt like she was running up the tree, fleeing something very large and dangerous behind her. She got as high as she could and then turned to face her pursuer.

Someone had somehow not only followed her, but was reaching out a hand in her direction. A very large hand.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.


	3. Chapter 3 - A Cat's Life

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwadsMate4Ever, and to jaspersdoll for suggesting the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 3 – A Cat's Life

_Someone had somehow not only gotten in front of her, but was reaching out a hand in her direction. A very large hand._

Carlisle and Jasper met at the base of a large pine tree. They stared at the discarded hospital blanket and gown lying in a damp heap on the ground.

"Jasper?" asked Carlisle.

Jasper looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Give me a second."

"What…there was a girl here, and now she's…?"

"I know," Jasper answered. "I followed her from Los Angeles. I was waiting at the edge of the parking lot when I heard she was going to the hospital. I figured you would notice her quickly, with a scent like that."

Carlisle smiled. "Yes, I heard the doors to the Emergency Room open and was immediately hit by a wall of scent in my office."

"Well, let me get her," Jasper said, "and then we can talk."

Jasper climbed the tree, following the small gray cat who fortunately hadn't quite made it to the top. He carefully lifted the hissing animal from the trunk, gently detaching her claws from the bark, tucked her inside his jacket and clambered back down.

When he reached the ground, he opened his jacket and pulled out the small animal, this time detaching her claws from his shirt.

"So that is what I saw," said Carlisle, amazed.

"Seems to be," replied Jasper, trying to calm the frightened cat. She was now fighting his grip with all her might, biting and clawing at his hand.

"Shhh…shhhh…shhh," he murmured. "Let's get you home."

Esme, who had been waiting for her husband by the car, walked up and looked at the small cat. "Oh, my," she said, reaching for the shivering bundle. Jasper handed the small creature to her, and the cat settled down, letting Esme pet her.

"What did she want at the hospital?" asked Jasper, watching Esme calm the cat.

"Something that makes a lot more sense now," replied Carlisle, as they got into the Mercedes. Jasper sat in the front with Carlisle, while Esme sat in the back seat. Jasper watched Esme fussing over the cat as Carlisle drove through the darkness, and soon they arrived at their house.

As they pulled up, the front door burst open and the small bundle of energy known as Alice came bouncing out.

"Oh, I want to see! Let me hold her!" she said as she reached the car.

"Alice, did you have a vision of what happened?" Carlisle asked. "We could use some help understanding what's going on." As Carlisle helped Esme from the backseat, Jasper took the gray cat back.

"I can't see anything," said Alice. "I only heard the car driving up, and the sound of a small animal with a very fast heartbeat."

When they entered the house, his family all fought over holding the cat while telling Jasper they had missed him. "Dude," Emmett said, while Rose gave him a less chilly smile. Edward held back from the others, watching the cat with a look of concentration.

Jasper held up his hand. "I'm glad to be back, and no one but me gets to hold her," he announced. He glanced over at Edward. "Are you getting anything from her?'

Edward shook his head.

Finally, the coven sat in consultation in the living room. Carlisle built a fire, and Jasper sat in front of it with the cat while they decided what to do next.

"Well, she's going to need food," declared Esme.

They decided to get human food, and Alice went into town to buy a variety of meats from the grocery store. They cooked both chicken and beef, then cut up the food into cat-sized pieces.

For two weeks, Jasper kept the cat with him. He only left the house once to feed, as he didn't know when she would change back. He took her with him in case she wanted to sink her teeth into a fresh kill.

It turned out the cat wasn't interested in the deer he chased down, and merely sat on his shoulder, waiting for him to finish.

Carlisle and the others started trying to track down the girl's family in Port Angeles. It didn't take long to determine the name she had put on the hospital forms, Jane Smith, wasn't her real name. They had better luck learning her identity when they traced the car and discovered it had been reported as stolen.

They discreetly checked into the situation and learned that it belonged to a waitress named Angela Weber, who worked at a restaurant in Pasadena, California. She had given permission to another employee, her roommate, to use it. But when both the girl and car had vanished, Angela decided she had been too trusting and went to the police.

Carlisle called Angela and told her that the car had been left in the parking lot by a young woman who was ill but refused medical treatment. He said he was willing to cover the repairs and transport it back to her if she would drop the charges, as in his opinion, her friend had just been confused.

Angela had immediately agreed and wanted to fly to Washington to bring her friend home. Carlisle told her that it wasn't necessary, as the girl had left the hospital against medical advice, and her whereabouts were unknown. They would let her know if she returned.

As the days passed, the coven watched as Jasper held the cat. She eventually calmed down, and spent a lot of time sleeping, curled up on his lap or shoulder. Esme kept human food ready for if/when she changed back.

They diligently searched the Internet and other resources, including police and medical databases, trying to find anything about her possible family in Port Angeles, but they didn't find any leads. There weren't any photos of a missing girl matching her description.

Carlisle sent Emmett and Rose to Port Angeles to scout around. After two days, they returned.

"That city is dead," declared Emmett. "About the only thing going on there was a traveling circus."

Edward was interested in this information. "That could be it. Carlisle, didn't you say the pills were animal tranquilizers?"

"I did," Carlisle replied. "But I'm not sure how to bring this up. 'Excuse me, but did you lose part of your traveling act?' Something tells me that they might notice we weren't the circus' usual customers."

"They might know how to bring her back," countered Jasper. "I don't know if she's like this because she's afraid of us, or if she needs their help to return to her human form."

"Are they still there?" Carlisle asked Emmett.

"No, they were only in town for a few days." Emmett replied. "We found some posters, announcing they were a small circus, a traveling big top with featuring big cats, elephants, clowns and trapeze artists. One of the last of the small circuses that travel the countryside."

"I remember those," commented Esme. "I used to want to go, but Father said it was inappropriate for a young lady."

So they decided to wait a few more days, and then if necessary attend the circus at its next appearance in Iowa.

But they didn't need to follow the circus after all. One afternoon, the cat fell deeply asleep and began to shimmer. Within a few seconds, she had transformed into a young woman.

Esme jumped up and covered her with an afghan, and Jasper removed his shirt to hand her when she woke up, but not before Emmett gave a low whistle, earning himself both a sharp glance from Esme and a growl from Jasper.

"Both well deserved," Carlisle commented quietly.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Cat Turns Back

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwadsMate4Ever, and to jaspersdoll for suggesting the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 4 – The Cat Turns Back

_But they didn't need to visit the circus after all. One afternoon, the cat fell deeply asleep and transformed into a young woman._

_Esme jumped up and covered her with an afghan, and Jasper removed his shirt to hand her when she woke up, but not before Emmett gave a low whistle, earning himself both a sharp glance from Esme and a growl from Jasper._

_"Both well deserved," Carlisle commented quietly_.

After a few moments, the girl on the sofa stirred and stretched. It was a while before Bella realized she was in a human body. When she did, she yanked the afghan up her neck and took the shirt, buttoning it up quickly.

"You looked!" she exclaimed to Jasper accusingly.

"Ummm…hello. It's nice to meet you," he replied. "I'm Jasper."

Glaring for a minute before pulling the afghan around her waist more securely, she bounded to her feet. "What are you?" she demanded. "Your body is hard as a rock, and you don't have a heartbeat. What did you do to me?"

"What did I do to you?" Jasper asked.

"Why was I like that?" Bella demanded.

"I don't know," Jasper replied. "One moment you were a girl, and the next minute you were running up the tree as a cat."

"That's because you were chasing me. I'm not a freak," Bella exclaimed. "But maybe you are. What are you? And don't try to tell me you're human."

"Actually," replied Jasper, "I am a vampire. We all are."

"I knew it," Bella said. "You're not normal. Well, I don't know what you did to change me into a cat, but I'm perfectly normal. I'm not a freak," Bella mumbled, dropping her voice at the end, as if she were trying to reassure herself.

"Of course not, dear," said Esme. "Would you like to come upstairs and get some clothes? My name is Esme."

Jasper, Carlisle, and the rest of the Cullens waited, hoping the beautiful stranger would respond to Esme by giving her name.

"Yes, I would, thank you," Bella replied, standing up again and releasing the afghan. As she stood, she glanced down at herself in surprise. The movement of her hair behind her caught her eyes next, and she reached out to finger it for a few seconds.

Bella looked back at Jasper. "What did you do? This isn't my body! I mean, it's certainly a nice body, these are nice legs, and…" she paused, opening up the shirt to look inside "…she has a very nice figure. But it's going to stay that way. I don't know how I ended up in this body, but I'm making sure it gets back to her in perfect condition, you understand?"

"Dear," said Esme, "let's go upstairs."

Bella and Esme went upstairs with Jasper hot on their heels.

Esme took her to the en suite bathroom of one of the guest rooms. As soon as Bella got to the door, she turned and looked as Esme. "Just a little privacy, OK? I kind of need to go…"

Esme nodded and said, "I'll get some clothes. We'll see if we have something that fits until we can shop for something in your size."

As soon as Esme left, Bella closed the bathroom door. Jasper was right behind her and pushed on it gently. Anticipating his move, Bella had slid to the floor with her back to the door, and put her fingers under it.

When he tried to open it, he was met with, "Ow! You're hurting my fingers!"

"Then take them out from under the door!" Jasper replied.

"No," Bella exclaimed. "I knew you were going to try something as soon as the nice lady left. I just knew it. Bathrooms are for privacy, not a contest to see how many of you freaks can fit inside of a small room. This room is not a clown car!"

Finally, once Esme assured her that no one would come in while she was using the toilet, Bella agreed to take her fingers out from under the door. Esme promised she would come in with some clothes and fresh towels when Bella was through.

Of course, once the door was opened, Jasper followed Esme inside the small room.

"This is a boy-free zone, dude," said Bella. "It's called, 'I'm going to take a shower and you got enough of a free peep show for one day. Leave, please."

Esme turned to Jasper but could tell he wasn't going to leave.

"Can you turn around at least," Esme asked, "while she gets into the shower?"

"I won't have her locking herself in here again," said Jasper firmly.

"And she won't. I'm here now," replied Esme gently.

Finally Jasper turned around, and Bella dropped the afghan and shirt and got in the shower.

Once inside the shower, her bravado collapsed.

She closed her eyes, feeling the water washing over her while she tried to relax. But she couldn't, not knowing there were two people who claimed to be vampires in the room with her. She glanced around the small shower stall, watching the shadows of the other two through the frosted sliding door. What had happened to her? She was scared, not knowing who the others were, and even more importantly, who or what she was. Had Jasper changed her? Or had she changed on her own? The lady out there, Esme, seemed nice enough, but she was unsure about the others. The doctor was the same doctor who had examined her at the hospital. How had she ended up at his house?

Confusion and fear overwhelmed her, and she slid down to the floor of the shower stall, sobbing as quietly as she could, clutching her arms to her chest. She could hear the quiet murmur of voices outside. Jasper and Esme were talking. It looked like one of them, maybe Esme, had moved towards the shower, but the other one had held her back.

Then she snapped her eyes back open. They had told her they were vampires. What interest would they have in her, other than her blood? She shivered.

Maybe this was all a dream. She was quite sure, during the times she had watched a tail flicking at the end of her body, that she was dreaming. But now she knew she was awake. And in lots of trouble. Who could she trust?

She stood up and turned off the water. Esme handed a towel and some clothes into the stall, and Bella came back out. Feeling more herself, she combed out her hair in front of the mirror. Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she realized that even her face was different. She looked more mature, more beautiful. Her features had sharpened, and her cheeks had hollowed, so that her cheekbones were more pronounced_. This face is almost as beautiful as my mother's_, she thought.

When she was done, Bella announced, "I'm decent."

Esme and Jasper turned around, and Jasper said quietly, "I think you're more than decent."

Bella blushed, and her stomach rumbled.

"Lunchtime?" Esme asked.

Bella nodded, so they went back downstairs and into the kitchen. Though confused about what was happening to her, there was no confusion about her hunger. She was ravenous.

"What would you like to eat, dear?" asked Esme as she pulled out the makings for sandwiches and fruit salad from the refrigerator.

"Everything looks great," Bella replied shyly. She downed three sandwiches in a few minutes, followed by four oranges, as fast as Esme could peel them.

Once she paused, Esme said, "May I ask you name?"

"Helene," Bella replied.

"Lovely," Esme answered. "I had an aunt named Helene. She was French…"

"It is lovely, but it's not your name, is it?" asked Jasper, leaning against the doorway.

Bella's eyes flicked at him, then back at Esme.

"Sorry, it's not," Bella said. "I don't want to give it until I know what he's done to me."

"I haven't done anything," said Jasper.

"You killed that deer in Eagle Rock," said Bella.

"So you did see that," Jasper answered. "Awfully acute vision for a human."

"I am a human. I just don't know what you've done to me," Bella began.

Carlisle decided to intervene. "Did you really have family in Port Angeles, or were they just passing through?"

Bella stared at him, biting her lip. "How long was I out? I remember seeing you in Urgent Care before going back to my car, and then I remember waking up. Curled up on one of Jasper's knees."

"Two weeks," Carlisle said. "And please, call me Carlisle."

"Angela must be…" Bella began then stopped, not wanting to reveal anything about identity or friends to the vampires.

"We already spoke to Angela," Jasper said. "She's very worried about you and wanted to fly up, but…"

"How did you find her?" Bella demanded, surprised.

"We traced the car through the DMV," Edward replied as he entered the kitchen.

"But you decided not to show her a cat," Bella filled in.

"Something like that," Jasper replied.

"Do you have any idea of what happened to me?" she asked, turning to Carlisle.

"We are immortals, and I suspect you are a different type of immortal," Carlisle answered. "There are those I have heard of called 'shifters,' referring to shape shifters."

Bella gasped. "You mean I'm like a werewolf?" she asked.

"We're not sure what you are," Carlisle said.

"You're quite different from an ordinary human," Edward commented. "I can't read your mind."

"Freak," Bella mumbled under her breath. Whether she was referring to Edward or herself was unclear to the others.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.

I've been blown away by the interest shown for this story. Thanks so much, and Merry Christmas!


	5. Chapter 5 - Getting To Know You

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwadsMate4Ever, and to jaspersdoll for suggesting the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 5 – Getting to Know You

_Bella gasped. "You mean I'm like a werewolf?" she asked._

_"We're not sure what you are," Carlisle said._

_"You're quite different from an ordinary human," Edward commented. "I can't read your mind."_

_"Freak," Bella mumbled under her breath. Whether she meant Edward or herself was unclear._

Jasper gestured to Edward and the others to give her a few minutes to compose herself.

Esme finally broke the awkward silence. "What can you tell us about your family, dear?"

"My father was a lion tamer," Bella said. "He had a few lions for his act, but sometimes traveled to get new acquisitions. My mother was a tightrope walker and trapeze artist. She was very graceful and strong."

"Where are they now?" Carlisle asked.

Bella looked down, fighting tears. After taking a moment to collect herself, she said, "My father got into a fight with a drunken circus performer. They said the man attempted to attack my mother, and when my father went to her aid, the man's gun went off, killing him. I didn't see it, but I heard it."

"I'm so sorry," said Esme. "And your mother?"

"She fell during her a performance a few days after my father's death. It was as if she was looking at something else and stepped off the high wire platform into air. She was performing without a net, and the fall broke her neck." Bella continued to stare down at her lap for a few more minutes then turned to look over her shoulder into the kitchen.

"Oh, the steak," Esme exclaimed.

The steak she had put on the broiler was done. Even though she had eaten three sandwiches, Bella returned to the table and took huge bites of the steak as well, closing her eyes in enjoyment as she chewed. "I used to be vegetarian, but now…it's like this food draws me."

Jasper had followed her into the kitchen and was leaning against the doorway, watching her eat, while Carlisle had seated himself at the table. They exchanged looks at her comment.

"I'm sure the shift takes a lot of energy," suggested Carlisle. "Do you remember anything from the time when you were a cat?"

Bella paused, mid-bite. "Not a lot. More like impressions. I remember slowly becoming aware of what was around me, but everything looked different."

"You liked following my hand," Jasper commented.

"You wouldn't let go of me. That I remember," Bella snapped back.

"No, I wouldn't let go," Jasper replied evenly. "The doors and windows were closed, but I didn't look forward to moving any furniture you might have decided to hide under."

"Jerk," Bella said softly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Could you understand us?" asked Carlisle.

Bella shook her head. "It was as if I wasn't listening for words. I was watching for movement instead. Near the end, I started to get groggy and disoriented. After that, I woke up on the sofa, as me again." She picked at the hem of the blouse she was wearing, silent for a moment.

"Who looked after you after your parents' death?" asked Esme, returning to their earlier conversation.

"Mrs. Cope, at the circus," replied Bella. "She was a friend of my mother's and had always been in charge of my medication. She was part of the wardrobe team and made all my mother's costumes. She did my mother's make-up before each performance. She always gave her such dramatic eyes. I remember waiting outside Mrs. Cope's trailer many times in the morning. 'Just a minute dear,' she used to say. 'I'm putting on my face.'"

"Did you attend school?" Carlisle asked.

"The circus traveled constantly, so we were never anywhere long enough for me to attend a public school. They had a traveling school for the performers' children."

"You must have had a lot of friends there," said Esme.

Bella smiled, reminiscing. "A few. There weren't many girls my age. I remember Eliza in particular. She was in training to be a clown, and used to come watch me while I tried to imitate my mother on the low wire and balance beams. At least she never laughed when I fell.

I was so clumsy that they never let me on the higher, aerial equipment such as the trapeze. Even with a net, my mother just kept saying I wasn't ready. And she looked graceful up there. It looked so easy as she practiced and performed."

"The animal tranquilizers you were taking probably weren't helping your balance," commented Carlisle. "I suspect that is why she didn't want you practicing at higher elevations. It wouldn't have been safe. And she never discussed why you were taking the pills with you?"

"No," replied Bella.

"I'm sure with all the traveling, you covered most of the United States," Jasper commented. Bella nodded in response, her face brightening as she remembered. "Where was your favorite place?"

"The small towns," Bella replied. "I liked those the best. Kids came to see us, and their eyes lit up at the sight of the big top, the lions and the clowns. But enough about me. What about you?"

Jasper gestured to Carlisle.

"I'm the head of this family, or coven," Carlisle said. "I prefer family. Please, call me Carlisle. I was a preacher in London in the mid-seventeenth century, which is when I was turned. I lived alone for most of my existence, but over time, changed Edward, Rose, Esme, and Emmett. Jasper and Alice joined us later."

"Must be nice," Bella mumbled. Looking at their startled expressions, she hurriedly added, "To be part of such a large family." She stared down at her empty plate, pushing her fork around for a few seconds. "If you're all vampires, what about me? Am I, like, your dinner?"

Carlisle said, "No, dear. Our eyes are yellow because we live off of the blood of animals. We consider ourselves vegetarian vampires. Human-drinking vampires, and they do exist, have red eyes. I should have said something sooner, but we were so caught up in your metamorphosis."

"It's OK," Bella mumbled.

"What did you want to be?" asked Jasper, anxious to get back to a more neutral subject. "Part of the circus?"

"Growing up, I dreamed of being an acrobat, a trapeze artist like my mother," Bella replied. "She looked so poised and confident up there. The crowds always fell silent watching her. But me, I'm a klutz."

Bella got up from the sofa and moved to stand in front of the mirror. She turned to the right and left, looking at her figure. "I don't understand this body," she replied. "Do you think I shifted into this body and will shift back to my own eventually?"

Jasper came and stood behind her, putting one hand on her waist in a manner he thought was reassuring.

"No, this is you," he whispered. "Your scent hasn't changed. I followed you all the way from Los Angeles…"

Then he jumped back.

Instead of a girl, there was a beautiful white horse, flicking her tail, tossing her mane.

Esme gasped, and Emmett started laughing.

"Well, you can't hold this one on your lap like the cat, but if anyone knows about horses, dude, it's you…"

The horse reared on her hind legs, cutting her front legs through the air.

"Easy, girl. Easy," Jasper said. He grabbed one of Carlisle's scarves from the coatrack and put it around her eyes. The horse appeared anxious, but calmed under Jasper's hands. Alice brought a carrot from the kitchen, earning a scowl from Jasper as he stared at it. Alice shrugged and handed it to him. He finally offered it to the horse. Initially, all he got was an exasperated snort, but eventually the horse calmed and took the carrot in her mouth.

Jasper patted the horse as she began to chew contentedly. "Can you hear me?" he asked.

The horse just chewed, letting carrot bits fall from the sides of her mouth onto the carpet.

"We can't keep her here," Jasper said. "She'll need to go outside, and the ground is too soft here."

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.

Happy New Year, everybody! Here's to a fabulous 2014.


	6. Chapter 6 - A Horse's Life

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, and to Jaspersdoll for the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 6 – A Horse's Life

_"We can't keep her here," Jasper said. "She'll need to go outside, and the ground is too soft."_

After thinking for another moment, he patted Bella-horse, and added, "No room for you to run here. I'll find you someplace to play."

As far as Jasper was concerned, the only proper place for a horse was Texas. Emmett was dispatched to find a horse trailer for the Cullens' guest. The first one he brought back wouldn't do. Jasper snarled at the sight of it, so Emmett backed away and quickly removed the offending piece of equipment from Jasper's sight. Emmett decided to go to Portland to look for a trailer that would meet with Jasper's approval, and Bella-horse spent the first night on the patio. The Cullens arranged furniture so she couldn't run into the forest behind the house, and she clearly wasn't happy.

Jasper brushed her constantly, which seemed to soothe her. He also pet her, trying to call her back. She didn't respond to the name she had given them, Helene, so they started calling her other names, attempting to figure out her real name, but she didn't respond to any of them.

When an evening wind picked up, Esme brought out a blanket which Jasper wrapped around her to keep off the chill. She turned and tugged at it with her teeth, but eventually left it alone and dozed off.

The next day, Emmett brought a trailer Jasper approved of, and Jasper led Bella-horse into it.

With Edward driving, Jasper and Carlisle took her south to Jasper's friends' house in Texas. Peter and Charlotte had a ranch along the Rio Grande with plenty of room for a horse to run freely.

When they pulled up, Charlotte was waiting outside.

"How did you find a horse that wasn't afraid? Animals usually panic around us," Charlotte commented, approaching Bella-horse and patting her neck as she offered a carrot.

Jasper could hear Edward snickering as he waited for Jasper's answer to the question.

"This isn't any ordinary horse," Jasper said dryly.

"No kidding," said Peter. "She doesn't smell like a horse. And she doesn't appear to have a brand or scars anywhere."

"Just milky white skin, and look at this mane," Charlotte commented as she ran her hand through it, letting the glossy hair slide through her fingers. "It's been a long time since I could touch a horse. She's very special, isn't she?"

Jasper nodded wryly and let Bella-horse go, watching her run as she stretched her legs after the cross country trailer ride. He watched as she ran in long loops, seeming to enjoy testing out different ground surfaces, from dust to the paved road, snorting and shaking her head with each discovery. It didn't seem to take long for her to discover the pleasure of rolling in the dust. While he was watching, Jasper relaxed a little, enjoying the feel of the Texas sun through his shirt. The ranch was remote enough that he didn't worry about a passerby catching the sparkle from his skin.

After a few hours, they led the horse to a stall in the barn. Though she entered it easily enough, nosing the inside curiously and snorting when she saw the oats they had waiting for her in a bin, when Jasper shut the stall gate she became agitated, kicking and rearing.

"Something tells me you're spending the night out here," Peter said, leaning against the gate. "Have to admit, it's nice having a horse around. One that doesn't go into shock or kill itself trying to get away from us."

After Bella was calmer and had dozed off, Jasper told Peter and Charlotte the story of how he had met her and her subsequent transformation into a cat.

"You mean, she saw you from the train?" Peter asked.

"She saw me and somehow recognized me when I boarded the train at the next stop," Jasper replied. "When we got to the station, instead of going home, she started north. I followed her until her car broke down. She ran into Carlisle when she went to his clinic to try to get refills for the pills that appear to have been suppressing her shifts, and has been with us since."

"A shifter," Peter commented, whistling. "Aside from a few werewolves, I haven't run into them. I missed out on Caius's werewolf extermination project, and the shifters have avoided us ever sense."

"With good reason," Charlotte said. "I've heard they keep to themselves, or occasionally join circuses or zoos, any place they can be around animals."

However, Charlotte had a few thoughts on Jasper's time with Bella as a human.

"What do you mean, you followed her into the bathroom?" Charlotte demanded.

"I could feel how scared she was, and I was worried she would…" Jasper began.

"Bathroom time is private time. That's not a way to win a girl," Charlotte scolded. "You say she shifted to a horse when you put your arm around her?"

Jasper nodded.

"Too fast," Charlotte replied. "Give her time. She's got a lot to sort out. You should be helping her, not making it worse."

"I know, but I thought knowing how I felt…"

"It's too much," Charlotte said. "Has it occurred to you she may not be able to control these shifts? You could be triggering them. You're just lucky she didn't turn when she was in the shower and wreck one of Esme's bathrooms."

"The thought had occurred to me, yes," Jasper replied. "I feel my connection to her so strongly though. I thought since she clearly isn't an ordinary human, she might feel it too." He kept his mouth shut on the topic after that, forced to bite back his frustration. Of course he knew that following her was wrong, and it wasn't as if the Cullen girls, from Rosalie to Alice, even the normally quiet Esme, hadn't given him an earful over the same issue.

Women and their sanctified bathrooms. They didn't seem to mind a guy being in their bedrooms, no not at all. But their bathroom? Hackles went up quickly.

He took off his hat to scratch his head, then knocked the dust off the hat before putting it back on. He glanced at Peter, who was watching him with a grin. Peter just rolled his eyes, with an "I hear you brother" look.

A few days passed. Carlisle and Edward spent their time on the computer, researching shifters and veterinary medicine, while Jasper took Bella out walking along the trails on the ranch, talking to her, trying to call her back. She seemed content to just walk wherever he led her, and he was becoming frustrated.

Three days after their arrival, Peter asked, "Have you let her see herself?"

"No, and that's an interesting thought," said Jasper. "I can sense the human personality is nearer the surface than the first time, when she was a cat for two weeks. Why don't we take her somewhere she'll see her reflection?"

So Jasper and Charlotte took her down to the river's edge while Peter cleaned out the stall. Bella-horse lowered her head to take a drink then paused, seeing herself for the first time in the water. She shook her head, turning it back and forth, seeming to take herself in. Finally she whiffled, turned away and started back up the bank.

"Do you think she liked what she saw?" Charlotte asked.

"I think the human's in there, now," commented Jasper. "I could sense it when the cat became aware of us."

As Bella climbed up the river bank, she spotted a rattlesnake and reared, frightened, pawing into the air.

Jasper leaned in and grabbed the snake, quickly dismembering it and throwing the pieces to the ground while the horse took off running.

"Whoa, there," he said after he ran Bella down. "That snake must have been dozing in the sun for it not to have noticed us," he began, when Bella-horse began to shimmer. Within a few seconds, instead of a horse, a girl was sitting on the ground, looking dazed. Charlotte peeled off her over blouse and handed it to her.

"Hi, honey," she said. "I'm Charlotte. "

As Bella pulled on the top, she said, "I'm Bella. Not Isabella, just Bella." She looked around, realizing she had given her real name. "Oh, well, you never believed Helene anyway."

"Nope," replied Jasper. "I'm glad I have your name now. I like Bella. It suits you."

Charlotte slipped off her sandals and handed them to Bella, and the three walked back to the ranch house.

Edward and Carlisle met them on the porch just as Peter came from the barn.

"You're back," said Carlisle. "It's good to see you."

Introductions were made to Peter, and they decided to go back to Forks, because Carlisle wanted to try Bella on some medications until she could control her shifts.

"I've been doing some research," he told her on the drive back to Washington. "I've been consulting with my old friend Eleazar. We're reluctant to ask the true experts, because, well, they might want to meet you."

"Somebody knows something about this?" Bella asked. "Who are the true experts?

"I have friends living in Italy who have been around since the Etruscan times. Their library is quite extensive, and I spent about sixty years with them once. But they like to acquire talented individuals, and we would prefer that you decide your own destiny."

"The circus was where my folks lived," she reminded him.

"Were they happy?" Carlisle asked.

"They seemed happy to me," she replied. "At least until whatever happened to my father took place. Then my mother, well, she just fell apart."

She fell quiet, and remained that way for the rest of the trip. They drove straight through, since the vampire drivers didn't need to sleep. Bella, however, dozed a lot, only waking up when they stopped to get food for her.

Once they got back to Forks, she seemed content to stay with the Cullens. She quickly warmed up to Alice, and they became friends.

"Jasper is very fond of you, you know," Alice said one night, as they sat in front of the fire while Jasper and Carlisle went out for a quick hunt.

"I know," Bella said softly. "And I appreciate all that your family has done for me. Btu I feel like I'm in the way.

"We're glad to have you."

"What about Carlisle's practice?" Bella asked. "I mean, didn't he have patients coming to the house before I came? I remember there were people outside the house the day I, um, came back from being a cat."

Alice smiled. "People were coming, but they were contractors working on the property.

Carlisle wants to offer hydrotherapy to some of his patients, and he became impatient waiting for the city to approve plans for a swimming pool, so he had one put in on our property. He hasn't brought any patients yet, as he had to train staff since we can't go into the water without humans noticing how different we are."

"You have a swimming pool?" Bella asked.

"We won't start using it until the therapists finish getting their certifications. Carlisle insisted on getting local students scholarship positions instead of hiring from the outside."

"Seems kind of odd, having people up here," Bella remarked.

"It's only until the city gets its act together," Alice replied. "And it's only until the hospital's pool gets built. After that, it becomes the Cullen's personal swimming hole."

Bella smiled, doubting very much that anything built by the Cullens would resemble a "swimming hole."

Alice turned their conversation back to Jasper. "You know he likes you. Why does it make you nervous?"

"Both my parents were shifters. I've seen those movies where shifters could only be with one another. I don't know if that's true. I don't know why they ended up together, or why they died within a few days of one another. I need to find out more."

"Is it time for a visit to the circus?" asked Alice.

"Yeah, it is," said Bella. "I just wish I knew what to expect."

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.

And Geezer Wench – thanks for the line. You know which one it was.


	7. Chapter 7 - Visiting A Circus

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, and to Jaspersdoll for the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 7 – Visiting the Circus

_"Is it time for a visit to the circus?" asked Alice._

_"Yeah, it is," said Bella. "I just wish I knew what to expect."_

They headed to the circus, which was outside of New York City this month.

Bella called while they were on the road, hoping to speak to Mrs. Cope, but was put through to the ringmaster instead. He made her nervous, though she didn't know why. She had noticed her mother always avoided him, which wasn't easy in such a small ensemble.

"How have you been?" Mr. O'Leary asked when he came on the line. "You leaving hit us hard."

"Sorry," she replied. "I just needed to sort things out after my parents' death, you know?"

"I see. You and your family have always been very special to me," he said. "I wish you would have felt comfortable coming to me with your thoughts before leaving."

"I'm sorry," Bella replied. "I just needed to be somewhere else, because everything around me reminded me of them every day. I was hoping to speak to Mrs. Cope."

"Mrs. Cope is visiting relatives in Wichita," he said.

Bella paused, surprised. "I didn't know she had relatives there," she finally said.

"Oh, she does. She seldom takes time off, though. She almost never left when you were here, as she was very fond of you."

Bella couldn't remember a time when Mrs. Cope wasn't around. She had always been there, especially when her parents were rehearsing or performing. She had handled Bella's medications, and Bella remembered waiting outside of her trailer while Mrs. Cope "put her face on," as she put it. Bella always thought she was pretty, and wanted to play with her makeup when she was younger, but Mrs. Cope never let her touch it.

"I wanted to come back by and see everyone," Bella said.

"We will be delighted to see you again," Mr. O'Leary replied. "When were you planning to arrive?"

"Tomorrow, if that's OK."

"Of course," the ringmaster replied, and told her how to get to the circus' temporary location. He seemed disappointed to hear she wanted to take the bus, sounding eager to pick her up in his car, but finally gave her directions.

Jasper watched Bella during the conversation. "He makes you nervous, doesn't he?" he asked when she hung up.

"Yeah, but then he's the boss, right?"

"There's nervous, and there's nervous. I think you might want to trust your feelings around him, that's all," replied Jasper.

"We have to think about how we're going to do this," Carlisle told her. "Circus people seem to sense that we are different. Whether it's because they are sharp observers of human nature or something else, it might be better if you went by yourself. We'll be available by phone, of course, but we'll also be very close at hand."

Bella nodded.

The Cullens dropped her at a bus stop, and she took the bus to the location at the edge of town where the circus was setting up. As the bus pulled up, Bella smiled wistfully seeing the signs for Katy Circus that had already been erected. The other tents were being put up in a routine familiar to her since childhood. While she was with the circus, she found the constant setting up and tearing down wearying, but now, she realized she had missed it.

When she got off the bus, she was met by the ringmaster, Mr. O'Leary, who was waiting across the street in his car.

He eyed her appraisingly. "My, but haven't you grown up in the past three months."

He wasn't the only one who noticed. John-John the weight lifter whistled, and she grinned at him. She had always liked John-John and distrusted O'Leary.

Mr. O'Leary took her duffle bag and carried it to his office. She spent a few minutes there, making small talk and telling him about the past few months, leaving out meeting the Cullens.

Finally, she was free. Outside of his trailer, people had gathered, waiting to see her. After being passed around for hugs, it was gossip time.

"So, did you hear?" John-John asked. "We went to Spain! We spent time in the Basque mountains. Big stuff for a small circus. Some big-shots came to see us, too. Very hush-hush for some reason. The big cats didn't like them and set up quite a ruckus, roaring and upsetting the elephants."

"Who paid for the trip?"

"Some relative of your father's, or so we were told," replied John-John. "Like a second cousin. They had been looking for your father for some time. They finally found the circus and brought us over to do a few shows. O'Leary and Mr. O'Malley were really excited about the opportunity to perform in Europe. I don't know a lot, except that our trip was cut short."

"What about Mrs. Cope?" Bella asked.

The group fell silent at the mention of Mrs. Cope.

"The ringmaster told us that she got word of her sister's illness while we were in Spain. He put her on a plane back, and we haven't seen her. I guess her sister's in a coma or something," Eliza said. She never referred to the ringmaster as Mr. O'Leary. None of the girls like the way he eyed them, and refusing to call him by name was one method Eliza used to distance herself from him.

Soon it was dinner time. As they walked into the mess tent, Bella was met by Mr. O'Leary and the circus owner, Mr. O'Malley, who led her away from her friends to sit at their table at the front of the tent.

"Dear, we are so glad to see you," said Mr. O'Malley. "We've been quite worried. We feel like family, and I felt like I had a runaway when you left. So glad to see you back."

"I just wanted to see the world a bit on my own," Bella told him. She liked Mr. O'Malley, almost everyone did.

As she ate at the head table, she could feel the buzz that her return and subsequent seating with the ringmaster and owner was causing. She was nervous and her mouth was dry, so she felt like she was just choking down her food, despite the wine Mr. O'Leary kept pouring for her. She wasn't used to drinking with meals, as her parents never did. Sure, she had drinks when she went out with Angela in Los Angeles, but drinking wine with dinner felt different. This was home, after all.

"Do you like this wine?" asked Mr. O'Leary, as he topped off her glass again.

Bella nodded.

"It's an old vintage, saving it for a special occasion. I decided that your return counted as a special occasion," he told her.

Finally, dinner was over, and she went back to Eliza's trailer. Eliza had been her best friend from school, where Eliza had been in clown training.

"What did you really do while you were gone?" Eliza asked.

"I found a job waitressing," Bella told her, "just as I said. Wait, you didn't believe me?"

"Waitressing? Heck no," Eliza asked. "We thought you eloped with a cute guy from the audience, and you came back because you+ broke up."

"Nothing so romantic. I waitressed. The pay wasn't great, but the tips were good," Bella replied. "I went out to see the shows, had my own apartment. Didn't have to pull up stakes and move every week. I just wanted to try to experience the normal life for myself.

Plus, I made a friend, Angela. We got an apartment together, and she had her own car. It broke down while I was driving north…"

"Then what?"

A knock came at the door of the trailer. It was Mr. O'Leary.

Bella and Eliza exchanged glances.

"Do you have a few minutes?" he asked Bella.

"Sure," she replied.

They went to the owner's trailer. Once inside, Mr. O'Malley offered her a seat then came straight to the point.

"I'm so sorry you missed the trip to Europe," he said. "We had to cancel mid-tour, you know. Without a lion act or our lead trapeze artist, I just felt we weren't offering our best shows. But we're going to go back again. You're coming, of course."

"It seems so sudden," said Bella.

"You'll be performing," he told her.

She paused.

They were going to let her perform? Her mother hadn't let her perform, saying that Bella wasn't ready, that she wasn't in control of her form. But now, without the medications, she felt so confident and strong that she could picture herself easily moving from swinging bar to swinging bar in a trapeze act, high above an audience.

Maybe she should stay a while.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.


	8. Chapter 8 - Ruckus at the Circus

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, and to Jaspersdoll for the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 8 – Ruckus at the Circus

"_You'll be performing," the circus owner, Mr. O'Malley, said._

_She paused. _

_They were going to let her perform? Her mother hadn't let her perform, saying that Bella wasn't ready, that she wasn't in control of her form. But now, without the medications, she felt so confident and strong that she could picture herself easily moving from swinging bar to swinging bar in a trapeze act, high above an audience._

_Maybe she should stay a while._

She looked at the two men, and thought she caught something sinister in the ringmaster's eyes, but dismissed the thought as she considered their offer. She had been thinking of doing an act for Cirque du Soleil. She knew that these small town circuses were dying, and that the future lay in the dazzling productions put on by the Cirque du Soleil and other big companies.

Ever since she had woken up in her human body after her shift, she felt she had the agility of a cat and the strength of a horse.

But then, the last time she had seen her, her mother hadn't felt she was ready to perform. What had her mother told her? "You don't have control of your body, dear. The clumsiness is like a symptom."

But now Bella believed that she did have control of her body. At least while she was human. She was much surer of herself and wasn't constantly tripping or bumping into things. She was sure her parents had been shifters, and wondered what her mother had transformed into. She really wanted to talk to Mrs. Cope.

"Dear?" asked Mr. O'Malley.

She shook her head, realizing she had zoned out during the conversation.

"You've given me a lot to think about," she told the two waiting men. "I'd like to work out tomorrow, start thinking about an act. By the way, do you have Mrs. Cope's phone number? I really wanted her to do my costume and make-up, like she did my mother's."

They exchanged a look, but gave her the number.

When she went outside, she saw Mr. Wu, the care-taker, raking the area in front of the trailer.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm OK," Bella told him. "Just needed some time to sort things out. Have you spoken to Mrs. Cope?"

He shook his head. "She said to keep an eye out for you. You look very nice, you know."

"I had a growth spurt," she said.

"Uh-huh. I knew your father, knew him well…"

He never finished what he was going to say, because Mr. O'Leary came out of the trailer, and Mr. Wu went back to raking.

She went back to Eliza's trailer and dialed Mrs. Cope's phone. The call went to voicemail.

"You couldn't get through either, could you?" Eliza asked sadly. "It's strange, but we've all left messages, and she hasn't called anybody back. Not even John-John. He's heartbroken."

Bella nodded. John-John had always loved Mrs. Cope, though she had never given him any encouragement. She wore a locket, one that she fingered often. No one knew whose photograph was inside. Her mother had confided to her that Mrs. Cope had never actually been married. She used the title "Mrs." as a way to stay safe in circus crowds, which were considered somewhat risqué in Europe where her parents and Mrs. Cope had worked before they joined the Katy Circus in the United States.

She phoned the Cullens next. She gave them a quick summary of her day, which she concluded with, "Mrs. Cope isn't here, but I left her a voicemail." She yawned into the phone.

"I'll pick you up," Jasper said.

"No, it's OK," she told him. "I'm going to bunk with Eliza, one of my friends from school. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Who was that?" Eliza asked after Bella hung up her phone.

"Just a friend," Bella replied.

"Sounded like a cute friend," Eliza countered.

Bella smiled. "Just a friend."

Finally they went to bed, and Bella dreamed of performing on the flying trapeze, high above the crowd. But in the middle of a spectacular somersault maneuver, she turned into a bird and flew over the heads of the startled audience.

She woke up in a sweat, and patted her arms. Still human, no feathers. It took a few moments, but finally she lay back down and slept.

The next morning, she passed by the big cats' trailers on her way to the mess tent. Unlike her father, she never felt they knew her, so she was surprised when she found herself with her hand inside Samson, the male lion's, cage. She was scratching his mane, just the way her father had, and he was leaning into her hand.

She snatched it back. What had she been thinking? The lion looked up at her with sleepy eyes, and rubbed his head against the bars. Gingerly, she went back to stroking his mane. She found the contact soothing and began to understand why her parents had felt at home in the circus. The cats had always just obeyed her father. He never needed to use the props he carried into the ring, such as the whip.

Bella had gone on a few of her father's trips when he bought new animals, and she remembered how different the other handlers were from her father. Those men needed the whips, prods, and bars of the cage for safety.

The lion now knew her, as if it had recognized the difference brought about by her transformation to a cat. This thought both chilled and excited her.

After lunch, Bella spent the afternoon working out on the balance beam and other equipment. Initially only Eliza and a spotter were with her in the training area, but soon a small crowd had gathered. Her old clumsiness had vanished, and she had acquired a cat-like grace and balance. She moved easily, performing flips and maneuvers that she would never have attempted a few months ago.

When the spotter asked where she had been training in Los Angeles, she told him she had tried martial arts to work on her balance. He nodded and said, "Well, something has worked well for you."

Finally she shimmed up the high wire pole. There were protests from below, but before anyone could climb up after her, she loosened the trapeze and began to swing on it.

It felt as if she was flying. She started to laugh, locking her ankles on the bar and sliding down so she could extend her arms. The others people looked small below her.

Clearly the transformations had affected her human performance.

A ruckus outside drew everyone's attention from Bella. The elephants began to trumpet, and Samson roared. Bella returned to the trapeze platform and climbed down the rungs to the ground, running outside to see what was happening.

The big cats were pacing in the cages, rocking them and clawing at the bars restlessly. The elephants were restive as well, and it was affecting the mood. Customers were arriving for the night's show, and they needed to calm the animals or risk losing the night proceeds if the families were frightened away by the animals' unrest.

John-John was standing in the middle of the chaos, looking around, trying to determine the cause for the animals' anxiety. Bella caught a familiar profile, then saw Jasper walking out, wearing the same hooded sweatshirt he had been wearing on the train, weeks earlier.

As soon as he was gone, her phone buzzed.

"I guess the animals could sense us," Jasper said.

"That was you?" she asked, then looked up as a shadow fell over her.

John-John was standing in front of her. "Is it her? Is it Mrs. Cope?" he asked, hope gleaming in his eyes.

"No, just a friend from Los Angeles."

His face fell. Poor John-John. For Bella, he was the image of the disappointed but loyal lover. He had always carried a torch for Mrs. Cope, but she was dedicated to some lost love from her past. The girls all thought it so romantic, but the older woman said she shouldn't dwell on the past when a good man was in front of her every day. Bella had noticed how sometimes Mrs. Cope watched him, though, when she thought no one was paying attention.

That night, Mr. O'Malley and Mr. O'Leary insisted she sit at their table again. A great deal of red wine was served again, and after dinner she went back to the training area. She didn't want to practice, knowing she had drank a lot, she just wanted to sit in the darkness alone for a little while and think.

But she couldn't clear her head. She was very sleepy, even though it was early. So she found a chair and curled up in it, being used to dozing in a chair during the days on the road traveling from town to town.

Then she fell asleep.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVIEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.


	9. Chapter 9 - Translatlantic Flight

All credit for the Twilight story and characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just enjoy playing with the characters. My thanks to my wonderful beta, EdwardsMate4Ever, and to Jaspersdoll for the title.

Catching Bella

Chapter 9 – Transatlantic flight.

_But Bella couldn't really clear her head. She was very sleepy, even though it was early. So she found a chair and curled up in it, being used to dozing in a chair during the days from years of traveling on the road from town to town._

_Then she fell asleep._

Bella woke up groggy and confused, not sure where she was. She heard mechanical sounds around her while she struggled to open her eyes. Once she opened them, she realized she was on a plane. She tried to move, but her arms and legs felt heavy.

Someone was sitting across from her, reading a newspaper. When he lowered it, she recognized Mr. O'Leary.

"What's going on?" she asked, struggling to remember getting on the plane or any details from the night before.

"We're going to Europe ahead of the circus," Mr. O'Leary told her.

"I don't remember getting on this plane," she replied.

"I wouldn't worry about it. You've just been tired, that's all."

His words, instead of being reassuring, only intensified her fear. Turning, she saw a third passenger, Mr. O'Malley. Glancing around the interior, she realized that no one else was on the plane.

"Good morning, my dear," Mr. O'Malley said. "How are you feeling? You had a bit of wine last night."

"Where are we?" she asked, turning from the men to peek out the window, seeing blue water below.

"We're over the Atlantic Ocean," Mr. O'Malley said, getting up from his seat to stand next to her. "Have you ever flown internationally before? Very exciting opportunity."

He put a hand on her shoulder that she quickly shook off.

"Why did we go ahead?" she asked.

"Oh, we have a meeting with our benefactors," Mr. O'Malley stated. "We also wanted to give you time to recover from jet lag and work on your act."

"I trusted you," she said softly.

He just smiled. "Nothing personal, my dear. Just business."

They didn't offer any more information, and Bella sank into her seat.

The flight seemed to both drag and flash by. Occasionally the two men tried to make small talk, but once it became clear that they were fishing for information about how she had spent the past six months, Bella thought that the less she said, the better. She wondered if the Cullens would know where she was. Had they seen her leave?

The plane finally landed in a desert bordered by mountains to the east. She could see a city below as they circled, but the landing strip was far from any building other than the hangars.

When they got off the plane, Bella saw a black limousine waiting on a tarmac, and she had a familiar sense of apprehension. It was the same feeling she experienced from the Cullens but had learned to suppress once she realized they were friendly. As they approached the car, two men got out. They were rather short and were formally dressed, wearing black suits and fedoras despite the desert heat. They looked young, though their faces were partially obscured by their hats and sunglasses. Despite their hats, she could see that one had dark brown hair and the other blond hair so pale it looked white.

She suppressed a hysterical giggle thinking of the actors from the movie "Men in Black." That wasn't Tommy Lee Jones waiting for her. Whoever they were, they were bound to be bad news.

Even though it was bright outside, she had the feeling their sunglasses were hiding something they didn't want the world to see.

"Bella, I would like to introduce you to some very good friends of mine," Mr. O'Malley said as they reached the duo waiting by the car. "They have been most interested in meeting you."

The dark-haired man bowed low and reached for her hand. She automatically extended it, then shivered at his touch when he shook it. It was hard and cold, just like the Cullens. He bent over her hand, touching the back of it with his lips as he looked up at her with great interest. She thought she saw a flash of red behind the sunglasses.

"My name is Stefan," he said in a melodious voice, "and this is my friend Vladimir."

But even before she had felt his cold hand, she already knew what they were. Vampires. Her body started to feel hot and cold, the feelings she now realized preceded a shift. She fought the shift, as she feared what would happen to her if she changed.

When she tried to retrieve her memory of her time as an animal, the times right after the shift were always hazy. She was sure if she shifted now, these men would put her in a cage.

Vladimir handed an envelope to Mr. O'Malley, who carefully placed it inside of his jacket pocket. He bowed and told them, "Thank you."

He turned to Bella and said, "Good-bye, my dear. They have promised to take very good care of you." He and Mr. O'Leary left her, and together they re-boarded the plane.

"Wait!" she called after them, but the door closed.

"Don't worry, dear," Stefan said. "We're going to be great friends." He handed her into the limousine, after which he and Vladimir climbed in, seating themselves across from her.

As the car took off, Stefan removed his sunglasses, revealing the ruby red eyes she had briefly glimpsed when he kissed her hand. Carlisle had told her that red eyes meant the vampire was a human-drinking vampire. The feelings of hot and cold began to race through her body, as if her body was demanding her to change to protect herself, but she kept forcing the feelings back, fighting for control.

She attempted to roll down the window, gasping for air, but it was locked. "Where are we going?" she asked when she recovered herself.

"Home," was all Stefan said.

"Where is home?" Stefan looked at her impassively. "What country is this?"

"We're in Morocco, my dear."

They drove for a short distance, then pulled up to a stone building that looked like the tower of an old castle. As she looked more closely, she saw it had a low building that linked it to another, equally formidable tower. Neither tower had many windows, only a few scattered randomly up the side.

"These are called Kasbahs," Vladimir said, speaking for the first time. "They were forts in medieval times. We find their ancient presence comforting, as we are not used to the modern world."

Exiting the car, both Vladimir and Stefan kept a hand on her arms. When they touched her, she felt the feelings of an impending shift intensifying, but she wasn't going to give in, as she had the feeling that it was the ability she had been sold for. She needed to get a better sense of an escape route before she changed. Maybe she could shift into something small enough to climb out one of those windows.

Inside the Kasbah, they escorted her up narrow stone stairwells to the fifth floor. She looked down the hallways, and only saw a single window at each end. As they approached one of the stone doorways, Stefan said, "We have a surprise for you, my dear. A friend is here to keep you company during your stay."

They unlocked the heavy wooden door, and she entered, hesitantly. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she saw someone rising up from a chair in a corner. Her features seemed familiar, yet something felt out of place.

"Mrs. Cope?" Bella said, then stared.

The woman appeared to be Mrs. Cope, but she looked Bella's age.

"Hello, Bella. I'm afraid under the circumstances I can't say I'm glad to see you," as Mrs. Cope pulled her into a hug, "but I'm glad to see you're all right."

The heavy door closed behind them, and the sound of a key grated as it turned in the lock.

PLEASE REVIEW. I WILL SEND A PREVEW OF THE NEXT CHAPTER TO ALL REVIEWERS.


End file.
